This blog is intended to provide the reader with important world news with an emphasis on Middle East and North Africa. It will publish news, analyses, comments, and opinions concerning those two regions. However, We welcome any comments, news or opinions which are related to their countries. You can visit too www.asswak-alarab.com for more information.

Friday, June 17, 2011

Quote Of The Year Goes To Amr Musa

By Tariq Alhomayed

At the end of last year, I said that the quote of the year was a statement attributed to the Qatari Prime Minister, revealed in the Wikileaks documents, stating that his country's relations with Iran were conducted along the lines of: "They lie to us and we lie to them". Today it seems that the quote of the year has come early, midway through the year, unless of course something superior comes later.

This is because this crazy year has already seen enough interesting quotes to form a substantial stock of wit and humor, from "I have understood you", words uttered by [former Tunisian President] Ben Ali, to the words of Colonel Muammar Gaddafi towards his people; "Who are you…you rats", to the Syrian President saying "we will speed up but we will not be rushed". However, a genuinely smart sentiment came to the fore today, in terms of its clarity and radiance, as the press described it.

This "radiant" expression was what Amr Musa said in response to accusations against him by the Syrian regime, which came on the back of what the Secretary General of the Arab League had said, calling the situation in Syria dangerous and worrying for all, adding: "what we hear, and what we see in terms of many casualties, indicates a major upheaval in Syria, as well as the displacement of groups of refugees to Turkey. All of this increases our sorrow and regret for what is happening".

In the wake of this the Syrian regime issued a statement critical of Musa, accusing him of trying to exploit what was happening in Syria, warning "anybody exploiting Syrian blood in order to serve private goals", suggesting that Amr Musa had said what he said only to strengthen his chances when running in the upcoming Egyptian Presidential elections!

Amr Musa reacted to the Syrian regime's accusation quickly, speaking to our newspaper the day before yesterday, stating: "Is the entire world intending to stand at the Egyptian presidential elections"?! This clear and comprehensive answer destroyed all the Syrian propaganda that had tried to oversimplify the gravity of the situation. The facts on the ground dictate that the Syrian regime is deep in a hole, whilst it insists on ignoring the reality of what is happening within its territory, and ignores the fact that reform is inevitable. Rather the regime has continued its misleading propaganda. For example, whenever the regime wants to send its troops to storm a city or village, the official media says that this troop mobilization stems from the demands of the people in those areas, and the question here is: If the regime can respond immediately to its people by sending security forces, why does it also not respond to the Syrian people's demands for reform? This is clear propaganda, intended to confuse. The "grave situation" which Amr Musa talked about is nothing but the result of the Damascus regime's errors, which have isolated Syria externally, and likewise internally. Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan has become a crowning leader not only in his country, or the Arab region, but even inside Syria, while the Damascus regime continues to distribute charges and accusations of treason, and pin everything on a foreign conspiracy!

It seems that the Syrian regime has not heard the old adage that if someone finds themselves in a hole, the first thing to do is stop digging, but the regime is still digging, and has been since the beginning of the popular uprisings to this day!

-This commentary was published in Asharq al-Awsat on 16/06/2011
-Tariq Alhomayed is the editor-in-chief of Aharq al-Awsat

About Me

I graduated from the French University in Beirut (St Joseph) specialising in Political and Economic Sciences. I started my working life in 1973 as a reporter and journalist for the pan-Arab magazine “Al-Hawadess” in Lebanon later becoming its Washington, D.C. correspondent. I subsequently moved to London in 1979 joining “Al-Majallah” magazine as its Deputy Managing Editor. In 1984 joined “Assayad” magazine in London initially as its Managing Editor and later as Editor-in-Chief. Following this, in 1990 I joined “Al-Wasat” magazine (part of the Dar-Al-Hayat Group) in London as a Managing Editor. In 2011 I became the Editor-In-Chief of Miraat el-Khaleej (Gulf Mirror). In July 2012 I became the Chairman of The Board of Asswak Al-Arab Publishing Ltd in UK and the Editor In Chief of its first Publication "Asswak Al-Arab" Magazine (Arab Markets Magazine) (www.asswak-alarab.com).

I have already authored five books. The first “The Tears of the Horizon” is a love story. The second “The Winter of Discontent in The Gulf” (1991) focuses on the first Gulf war sparked by Saddam Hussein’s invasion of Kuwait. His third book is entitled “Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: From Balfour Promise to Bush Declaration: The Complications and the Road to a Lasting Peace” (March 2008). The fourth book is titled “How Iran Plans to Fight America and Dominate the Middle East” (October 2008) And the fifth and the most recent is titled "JIHAD'S NEW HEARTLANDS: Why The West Has Failed To Contain Islamic Fundamentalism" (May 2011).

Furthermore, I wrote the memoirs of national security advisor to US President Ronald Reagan, Mr Robert McFarlane, serializing them in “Al-Wasat” magazine over 14 episodes in 1992.

Over the years, I have interviewed and met several world leaders such as American President Bill Clinton, British Prime Minister Margaret Thacher, Late King Hassan II of Morocco, Late King Hussein of Jordan,Tunisian President Zein El-Abedine Bin Ali, Lybian Leader Moammar Al-Quadhafi,President Amine Gemayel of Lebanon,late Lebanese Prime Minister Rafic Hariri, Late Palestinian Chairman Yasser Arafat, Haitian President Jean Claude Duvalier, Late United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan,Algerian President Shazli Bin Jdid, Jamaican Prime Minister Edward Siyagha and more...